Frédéric Malle, perfume publisher
Editions de Parfums launched in 2000 with nine fragrances, among them Musc Ravageur, En Passant and Lipstick Rose. Frédéric Malle gives his perfumers a single rule: strip away everything superfluous or decorative. His involvement varies from one perfume to the next. With some he gives the author free rein; with others he evaluates one trial after another.
Frederic Malle fragrances in our selection
Roses and florals
Portrait of a Lady, signed by Dominique Ropion in 2010, pairs a generous dose of Turkish rose with woods, amber and incense. In Lipstick Rose by Ralf Schwieger, violet and iris create the powdery effect of lipstick and dressing-room makeup. Rose Tonnerre grew out of a personal project by Edouard Fléchier and combines rose with a truffle accord. Also by Ropion is Carnal Flower, from 2005, built on a natural tuberose absolute in high concentration. With En Passant, Olivia Giacobetti recreates lilac, a flower that yields no natural essence, as you smell it on the breeze on a May morning in Paris. Finally, Eau de Magnolia is by Carlos Benaïm, from 2014.
Musks, woods and citrus
Musc Ravageur by Maurice Roucel is a musky amber with no florals, opening on bergamot and mandarin before moving into vanilla and musks. At the heart of Monsieur, signed by Bruno Jovanovic in 2016, is patchouli in an exceptional dose, obtained by molecular distillation, which the house describes as woody and exotic. Pierre Bourdon built French Lover, in 2007, around angelica, with an idea of masculinity far from the usual archetypes. Bigarade Concentrée by Jean-Claude Ellena, from 2002, is an eau de toilette based on a bitter orange essence that rethinks eau de cologne in a fresh, crystalline key.
Body and hair
Portrait of a Lady Hair & Body Oil and Musc Ravageur Hair & Body Oil are oils the house offers to bring shine and softness to hair and skin, letting the fragrance melt into the skin. From the same line comes the Portrait of a Lady Body Butter, a nourishing body butter scented with Turkish rose, patchouli, sandalwood and incense. For the shower, there is the Carnal Flower Body Wash, a soft gel that turns into a rich lather with water and carries Dominique Ropion's tuberose.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Frédéric Malle?
Frédéric Malle is a French perfume publisher who founded Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle in 2000. He doesn't compose the fragrances himself; instead he chooses the perfumers, oversees the development of the formulas and then publishes them with the author's name on the label.
Why is the perfumer's name on Frederic Malle bottles?
The perfumer's name appears on Frederic Malle bottles because the house presents itself as a publisher: each fragrance is a work signed by its author. Frédéric Malle has said he found it unfair that perfumers stayed hidden like ghostwriters, so the Portrait of a Lady box reads Dominique Ropion, and Musc Ravageur reads Maurice Roucel.
Which Frederic Malle scents also come as body and hair products?
Portrait of a Lady comes both as a hair and body oil and as a body butter, Musc Ravageur has a hair and body oil, and Carnal Flower has a body wash. In their descriptions, the two oils are presented as regenerating body oils, and the Portrait of a Lady butter as deeply moisturizing.
What does Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady smell like?
Portrait of a Lady is an eau de parfum by Dominique Ropion, who also created Carnal Flower, built on a generous dose of Turkish rose with woods, amber and incense. The house presents it as a new milestone in the chronology of perfumery.
What does Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose smell like?
Lipstick Rose is an eau de parfum by Ralf Schwieger inspired by the gesture of a diva applying lipstick in front of her dressing-room mirror. Its powdery note comes from violet and iris, two flowers associated with eyeshadow and other makeup products.
What is Musc Ravageur?
Musc Ravageur is an amber, musky eau de parfum by Maurice Roucel, with no floral notes. It opens with bergamot and mandarin and settles on an amber, musky base with vanilla. Maurice Roucel created it for the house's debut in 2000, and it also comes as a hair and body oil.
What makes Carnal Flower special?
What sets Carnal Flower apart is the amount of natural tuberose absolute, used in a very high concentration in Dominique Ropion's formula. It plays on the dual nature of tuberose. The same fragrance also comes as a body wash.
What is Frederic Malle Bigarade Concentrée?
Bigarade Concentrée is an eau de toilette by Jean-Claude Ellena, released in 2002, based on a bitter orange essence obtained by molecular distillation. The house presents it as a reinvented eau de cologne with a crystalline, fresh and vibrant quality that focuses on the simplicity of the raw material.
What does Rose Tonnerre pair with rose?
Rose Tonnerre pairs rose with a truffle accord, a combination the house calls paradoxical. It is an eau de parfum by Edouard Fléchier, born from a personal project of his, and the house describes it as the scent of a rose in a foggy garden, at night, in stormy air.
